1. Related Applications
This application claims the benefit of my co-pending U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/018,660, filed on May 30, 1996 for SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RECOGNIZING AND REWARDING EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTIONS.
2. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to recognition programs and, more particularly, to novel systems and methods for recognizing and rewarding individual contributions.
3. The Background Art
In an age of corporate downsizing and a watchful eye on the financial "bottom line," companies, institutions, government agencies, organizations, etc. (both profit and non-profit) seem to have become more attentive to the individual contributions of employees, associates, independent contractors, and the like who have been hired or engaged to assist in reaching the specific goals and objectives of an organization. Not much development, however, has transpired by those skilled in the art as to recognition or incentive programs to reward and recognize persons for their individual contributions other than those conventional means that may include, for example, discretionary bonuses, stock options, and/or varied participation in profitability pools. These conventional recognition or incentive programs have been found to be generally directed to overall performance, rather than isolated contributions that may be overlooked or underappreciated with the passage of time.
Although various incentive programs have been developed to protect "bottom line" finances, many of the methods and techniques which have been developed by those skilled in the art generally relate to coupon redemption apparatus and programs. For example, prior art coupon redemption apparatus may include sheets of promotional merchandise coupons supportably disposed in relation to a plate-like support member which is adapted for mounting at the front edge of a supermarket shelf to provide a point-of-sale display in association with product or units of the particular product line. Structurally, the promotional coupon may comprise a front surface which illustrates and promotes a particular product line and describes the nature of an offer being made. Typically, the promotional coupon further includes a rear surface that continues with the description of the product line and the offer, but also contains an adhesive region designated for the attachment of a portion of the package dress or packaging material of the specific product or the product line being promoted thereto before redemption may be available.
Another example of a prior art coupon redemption methods and apparatus includes a coupon redemption card formed of a layer of card stock, laminate, and a layer of adhesive, the method comprising the steps of: (1) printing information on a front surface of the layer of card stock, such as, manufacturing, marketing, charity information, and the like; (2) applying the laminate to the front surface; (3) applying the adhesive layer to a back surface of the layer of card stock; and (4) folding the layer of card stock in half, such that one half of the back surface is adhered to another half of the back surface by means of the adhesive layer. As noted by the inventor, this invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by creating a coupon redemption card wherein coupons may be removed from the card with a sufficient layer of the card stock remaining to maintain the support of the coupon redemption card and maintain structural integrity through the life of its use in a wallet-carrying environment.
Similarly, those skilled in the art developed prior art transactional control systems which generally include a set comprising a transactional card and a removable label having a first side suitable for printing indicia thereon and a second side having a reusable adhesive layer suitable for affixing the label to the transactional card. In typical operation, the label printed with registration indicia may be removed from the transaction card and affixed to a registration form to provide instant on-site registration of a holder of the transaction card.
Consistent with the foregoing, while prior art apparatus and methods for coupon redemption and transactional control systems may disclose some of the individual features of the present invention and appear generally suitable for their intended purposes, they nevertheless leave much to be desired from the standpoint of providing a recognition program for recognizing and rewarding the contributions of individuals in an organization or business. In this regard, the present invention provides for novel systems and methods for recognizing and rewarding individual contributions which overcomes several deficiencies of prior art contribution techniques and resolves several problems left unsolved by the known prior art.